4 Steps to Stop Feeling Guilty When You’ve Done Nothing Wrong

It was an early morning. I woke up before my phone’s alarm. I just lay there in the dark room, staring blankly at the ceiling.

I felt like a zombie. I felt empty, blank, soulless.

I was feeling guilty.

I wanted to feel delightful, joyful and happy. But deep inside me, a voice said “What’s the point? You deserve this.”

Because some people said something hurtful to me.

I know what you are thinking and I agree with you wholeheartedly.

“You should never feel bad if other people wrong you.”

You see, all my life I’d been trying to avoid conflict, awkward situations and argument. Sometimes even at my own expenses.

Because of my low self-esteem, I was a people-pleaser and I tried my best to please everyone around me. I was terrified if I did something that other people seemed unfit. And I was scared to death to be involved in any argument. And I constantly felt guilty, regardless of whether I’d done something wrong.

But life happened. No matter whose fault, if I was involved in an argument, I felt like it was my responsibility, my mistake. I punished myself for letting it happen.

If you find yourself dwelling on the past, keep playing the same old bad memories in your head or trying to find something to feel guilty about you might be a people-pleaser as well.

But being a people-pleaser only hurts you and makes you feel crappy about your life.

Here are few things to do to get rid of guilt, especially when you’ve done nothing wrong.

1. Recognize why you’re feeling guilty and find the root cause

I thought I was smart and curious. But that’s not true.

I wasn’t curious about the thing that matters the most in my life: myself. I wasn’t curious about myself, how I feel, how I think, how I react. And that’s such a huge mistake.

By ignoring my feelings, I fell deep into depression and anxiety and I didn’t know how to get out.

And then I discovered that the first crucial step is to recognize your feeling. Acknowledge it.

Sit down in a quiet room and write down your feelings on the piece of paper. Clarifying your feelings makes them easier to let go. If you can find someone you can trust, talk to them honestly about how you feel.

Once you aware of how you truly feel, find its root cause.

Understanding feeling guilty.

Your guilt is a feeling that comes from you, so you need to seek the reason within yourself.

Sometimes you feel guilty for doing nothing wrong, just because what you do is right in your own term but is wrong in your socially common norm and vice versa.

2. Let go of your own judgment

What are your common norms for the right thing? Are you sure you are unbiased toward those norms?

How we were raised affect our lives. I have the tendency to please people and I’m afraid of conflict because I was born and raised to be a people-pleaser.

My definition of people-pleaser meant “selfless”, “generous” and “kind”. And I judged myself for not trying my best to please other people, even if it was at my own expense.

But that wasn’t right. I am equal to other people. And I am allowed to live my life under my own term.

Sit down and tell yourself, “I set myself free from my own judgment”, “I allow myself to live my life under my own term”.

3. Accept that you cannot be perfect and have no control over others

If you have done nothing wrong but you still feel guilty, it might be because you fail to meet your overly high expectations for yourself. If you want everything you do to be perfect, you set yourself up for failure.

No one on Earth is perfect, so give yourself a break and stop beating yourself up.

4. Forgive yourself

Most people on Earth are being too hard on themselves. We can forgive other people easily but we cannot do the same thing to ourselves. And people who don’t forgive themselves are hurt and vulnerable. More than anyone, those people need healing, from within themselves.

It is not an easy task, but it can be done.

So take a step back, imagine it’s your loved one who feels guilty and hurt. Treat yourself like your loved ones and forgive yourself.

5. Imagine this

You are involved in several conflicts here and there. You feel like people are talking about you behind your back.

You feel like a fraud, a criminal and you walk with your head down? No! Stop this right now.

You don’t care about what they think. Because you only have control over yourself. You know you didn’t do anything wrong, so you know that you don’t have to feel bad.

Allow yourself to live your life under your own term, and choose to let go of any judgment toward yourself.

Hmmm…you could actually begin to believe something else Will. Something that creates a much more consistently happy energy. Because it’s that energy that we dwell in that’s bringing our next life experience. Love Elle. 🙂